The last time Heyneke Meyer set foot on Australian soil he heaped praise at the feet of the Wallabies and promptly directed they be torn apart at Suncorp Stadium a few days later.

There was an ominous familiarity then in Meyer's comments this week in Perth, where South Africa are angling for a ninth-straight Test win and fourth on the trot against a wounded Australia.

Wallabies, a bad team? They're "brilliant", but played "one bad game". The Australian forwards, "powder puffs"? Never. The Wallabies' back line is "big, quick and in form", with a newly-acquired kicking game and two "world-class" players on the bench.

Experienced: South African Victor Matfield. Photo: Getty Images

"We said to the guys if we're going to win this game we're going to have to make more than 200 tackles, which is very high for international [rugby] but that's what it took last time [in Brisbane]," Meyer said.

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"This back line will punish you if you're not at your best defensively and we're nervous ... It's going to be an open game with two great back lines facing each other."

There is nothing disingenuous about Meyer's comments. He attributed the Springboks' 90 per cent win rate over their past 20 Tests to the respect they afford their opposition – both publicly and in private.

Back in the swing of things: South Africa's Morne Steyn. Photo: AP

His selection's bear that out. The former Bulls coach has turned to his most experienced players, including Morne Steyn, Victor Matfield and Ruan Pienaar, in anticipation of a fierce physical and tactical battle for supremacy in the third round of the Rugby Championship.

But after a game in which the Wallabies' forwards proved incapable of re-gathering in the face of an All Blacks onslaught, the coach of one of the most physical packs in international rugby might be entitled to ask a few questions.

Instead, Meyer scoffed at the term "powder puff" as it was applied to the Wallabies by New Zealand media after their 51-20 thumping at Eden Park.

"I don't believe that," he said. "We [South African teams] played 10 games here in Super Rugby [this year] and I think we won one – that was the Sharks. You don't lost nine games against guys who aren't physical enough and don't get into the confrontation.

"They have a good scrum, they're physical on defence. I have a lot of respect for a guy like [Michael] Hooper, he's a captain and he leads from the front. It's always physical playing against Australia.

"Where Australia is a great side is they have the physicality and they also have the skill, and that makes it difficult to defend."

Matfield, a revered lineout wizard who retired in 2011 before staging his comeback via the Bulls in Super Rugby this year, makes his first appearance of the competition and his fourth start this season.

The 113-Test veteran will anchor a pack averaging 45 Test caps per player. Tendai "the Beast" Mtawarira returns to the starting line up in a fearsome front row, with Jannie du Plessis at tighthead and Adriaan Strauss getting the nod over Bismarck du Plessis at hooker for his first starting role this season.

Matfield will partner imposing youngster Eben Etzebeth in the second row. The 203cm, 22-year-old has some history in Perth – he was suspended for two weeks for head-butting Wallabies second-rower Nathan Sharpe in Australia's 26-19 victory in 2012.

In the back line, Meyer has dropped promising young five-eighth Handre Pollard and will start Steyn for the first time since June. Patrick Lambie is on the bench.

Meyer said a 50 per cent chance of rain on Saturday made the Sharks playmaker, who can cover fullback, a safer bet.

Elsewhere, 187cm centre Jan Serfontein joins captain Jean de Villiers in the mid-field, while Bryan Habana is set to play his 100th Test on the wing with rookie Cornal Hendricks on the right wing and Willie Le Roux at fullback.

It is a back line with the smarts and experience to handle whatever the Wallabies throw at them, and the fire and pace out wide to punish any mistakes made by their "brilliant" opponents.

11 comments so far

Great article and glad to see Heyneke shows the Aussies the respect they deserve one bad game does not make them a bad side the same can be said about the boks except they have had now two bad games it is now time we start playing some real rugby. Should be a cracking game but think Aus has the edge to win this one. Good selection from both coaches.

Commenter

Riek Saffa

Location

South Africa

Date and time

September 03, 2014, 7:40PM

2v3. this will be a tough game and will show just how far each team is behind the AB's. I don't think they are too far behind but time will tell. as interesting will be to see how the Puma's go against the Ab's. people wrote of SA but my suspicion is the physical pumas can and will upset the AB's as well. this is a tough competition and losing to these sides is not a disgrace - it's a hard day at the office. 2v3 - too close to call - hope the ref lets the players play.

Commenter

Grant

Location

Sydney

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 4:22AM

You know exactly how far the wallabies are behind the All Blacks. You played 'real rugby' and lost....did you think that it was a 'practice game'? The question is, can you beat a South African team that has called players back from international retirement and struggled to get past Argentina? I think your forwards will be unimpressive, (as always) and punished by Steyn for repeated collapsing, whilst your backs will be cut in half by le Roux and out paced by Habana (even at 31).

Commenter

matt

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 5:20AM

I don't think he is showing respect Riek Saffa he just knows that the Australian forwards will fold when up against very hard men.

Commenter

RTP

Location

Sawtell

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 8:25AM

@ Matt

This is why everyone on the planet always says... ' please, please anyone but England !'

Commenter

Machooka

Location

Yass

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 10:00AM

Impressive pack, but Bismarck on the bench? The man is the real beast for the saffas. He'll be firing by the time he's injected into the game. But me still thinks wobblies will win this one.

Commenter

Rugnut

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 5:40AM

Matt - it's not only the Wallabies that know how far they are behind the ABs; the Boks' know too. You reckon that Matfield is better than Retallick; that Pienaar is a better distributor than Cruden or Barrett or Carter for that matter? Fact is that the All Blacks are in a class of their own at the moment and any argument to the contrary is foolish. South Africa has great rugby talent, but SARU and the selectors mess it up when it comes to grooming young talent. Instead of gradually easing them into international play, they start them and then panic when they don't play like veterans. The result? guys like Pollard and de Jager suddenly find themselves either off the game squad completely, or benched and HM runs with his aging veterans who, by the way, are no where match-fit when it comes to the +60th minute of the game. That's a failed strategy against a youthful All Black side.

Commenter

Fresney

Location

San Diego

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 5:53AM

It may well be that the Boks are protecting their young talent before they are poached by N&SH rugby playing countries.

Commenter

Akari

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 8:22AM

@ Fresney... A little bit out of whack there mate. Pienaar is a half back, and I rate him not as good as Aaron Smith, where as Cruden, Barrett & Carter are all first five's.As for Matfield being better than Brodie, well lets wait & see, as I really am looking forward to the confrontation between Retallick & Etzebeth, as these two would be possibly the best two young lock forwards in international rugby, as both,I think, are only 22. As for the All Black's being in a class of their own, well taking into consideration, as to how close the "Bok's" got to them last year, I really think as most New Zealanders do, this will, and as it has in the past be still,our " Ultimate Challenge". Then again we all have to get past this weekend first, don't we?

Commenter

Muzzo

Location

Orange

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 12:50PM

What is with the journos new fascination of games won in a row? This stat means nothing, especially if you've just played some minnows (ie the North) SA, Aus and NZ only ever judge themselves against each other since we are consistently the best. And even dropping a game is not as bad as it sounds, if it's close Losing to the ABs by 1 is still a better result than beating Italy by 1.